The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group works to help people whose rights have been violated and investigates cases involving such abuse, as well as assessing the overall human rights situation in Ukraine. The Group also seeks to develop awareness of human rights issues through public events and its various publications

The progress on signature and ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is unlikely as long as the opposition leaders are in prison and are unable to freely participate in political activity.

The British Embassy in Kyiv was surprised to read reports in Ukrainian media suggesting that Ivan Rogers, Adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron on Europe and Global Issues, had “expressed hope that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU would be signed by the end of the current year” during his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko. This is incorrect. During that meeting, Mr Rogers underlined the UK’s consistent message that the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement would not be signed and ratified until opposition figures, detained as the result of flawed trials, were released from prison and able to participate freely in Ukrainian political activity.

The UK strongly supports Ukraine’s EU aspirations. We welcomed the initialling of the Association Agreement and the first and last page of the DCFTA on the 30 March 2012, which demonstrated that both parties were content with the text. As the UK has said publically many times, however, signature and ratification are unlikely to happen until Ukraine demonstrates its commitment to democratic reform, particularly in the areas of human rights and the rule of law.